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Europe
German intelligence cracks terror group's codes
2004-12-20
German intelligence services have deciphered secret codes used by the Ansar al-Islam organization which is suspected of being behind many of the kidnappings and terror attacks in Iraq, according to German news magazine Focus. In a report, Focus quotes police and intelligence authorities as saying the arrest of a man believed to have been planning an attack on Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi in Berlin earlier this month has led to the codes being deciphered.
Thanks for letting them know, asshole
Franz-Hellmutt Schuerholz, president of Baden-Wuertemberg state police department, is quoted as saying: "We have managed to break the structures of the terrorist organization from the outside." The report said that with the help of the arrested suspect authorities deciphered coded email and mobile telephone messages going right to the top of the organization.
"Ouch, OK, it's a subsitution cipher, the key is in the bottom of my shoe, just put "THAT" away!"
"And 'THOSE' too!"
"And get 'THEM' outta here!"
Three men are detained in Germany on grounds of belonging to a terrorist organization following their arrests shortly before Allawi's visit to Germany on December 3. They are believed to be members of the banned northern Iraqi Kurdish group Ansar al-Islam.
Posted by:Steve

#25  Just friken great. Idiot politicians blowing away a vital intellige source/method and doing it just so he can brag. Wottanass.

This is rerunnign in my head the idiot who "leaked" the "we are listening in on the satellite phones" story that caused us to lose a very good source on AlQ/BinLadin in the late 90's. That guy should have been forced to attend every one of those 9/11 funerals - the reporter too.

I hate politicians and reporters who have no idea what harm they are doing.
Posted by: OldSpook   2004-12-20 11:50:53 AM  

#24  Just friken great. Idiot politicians blowing away a vital intellige source/method and doing it just so he can brag. Wottanass.

This is rerunnign in my head the idiot who "leaked" the "we are listening in on the satellite phones" story that caused us to lose a very good source on AlQ/BinLadin in the late 90's. That guy should have been forced to attend every one of those 9/11 funerals - the reporter too.

I hate politicians and reporters who have no idea what harm they are doing.
Posted by: OldSpook   2004-12-20 11:50:53 AM  

#23  This German guy is not a politician, he's the head of the local State police.

If he "leaked" that info, he had a reason to do so. At least I hope so.

Probably that code isn't used anymore or Ansar already knew it had been broken.
Posted by: True German Ally   2004-12-21 12:02:12 AM  

#22  When do we start publicly beheading people who leak that we broke an enemy code?

Death is too good for those scum of the earth types.
Posted by: Grolurt Shutle8331   2004-12-20 11:49:09 PM  

#21  Dar - both of my uncles on my mother's side survived their navy careers in the Pacific and came home. Both have died in the last ten years. Dad and his brother survived Europe (Dad was in the 4th Armored, Uncle John was in the infantry). Mom was the only woman in either family to serve. I'll try to write something on my blog early next month about them.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2004-12-20 6:42:39 PM  

#20  "frah-GEE-lay"
Posted by: Dar   2004-12-20 6:09:18 PM  

#19  :>
Posted by: Shipman   2004-12-20 6:01:15 PM  

#18  Those Eyetalians make such fine products.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-12-20 4:49:38 PM  

#17  I'm looking Mrs. D. I had kinda forgotten about American Playhouse til I watched the Christmas Story for the 11teenth time last week.

No... not available currently. Rats. I expect it will be tho inshalla. The Phantom of the Open Hearth explains the real story behind the Leg Lamp.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-12-20 4:40:40 PM  

#16  Ship, Can you get those on video?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-12-20 4:11:31 PM  

#15  That's a hell of a story OP!

Mrs D:
American Playhouse - Produced for PBS by WGBH, Boston

"The Phantom of the Open Hearth" (1976)

Starring: David Elliot, Barbara Bolton, James Broderick

"The Great American 4th of July and Other Disasters" (1982)

Starring: Matt Dillon, James Broderick, Barbara Bolton

"The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski" (1983)

Starring: Pete Kowanko, James Coe, Katherine Kamhi, Barbara Bolton

"Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss!" (1989)

Starring: James B. Sikking, Dorothy Lymon, Jerry O'Connell.
Shepherd wrote, narrated, and plays Mr Scott - the Boss!


Posted by: Shipman   2004-12-20 3:33:12 PM  

#14  OP--Fascinating account. I'm sorry to hear you lost her so recently and that the other half of that story is probably lost with her, too. She contributed to a great cause that shortened the war and saved thousands--if not HUNDREDS of thousands--of Allied lives.

What became of her brother/your uncle? Did he survive the sinking?
Posted by: Dar   2004-12-20 2:57:15 PM  

#13  My educated guess is that there was a very good reason for that "leak".
Posted by: True German Ally   2004-12-20 2:55:22 PM  

#12  his career was quietly sidelined.
Well, somebody has to count all those penguins!
Posted by: Steve   2004-12-20 2:43:19 PM  

#11  My mother was one of the Navy Waves that spent their entire enlistment during World War II in Washington, DC, desciphering JN-25 and a half-dozen other Japanese naval codes. She knew her brother's ship had been sunk a full seven days before the Navy admitted it - she'd decoded the message from the submarine that did it. I didn't find any of this out until I was 15, when I started writing to a Japanese penpal. She sent me some pictures with stuff written on the back in Kanji. My mother read it to me. You can't believe how shocked I was! She didn't talk to me about it much until the last ten years. She died last year, and I still only know half her story.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2004-12-20 2:37:20 PM  

#10  Shipman, THANKS. I've got tapes of about 50 radio shows, but I'd never heard of that one. Guess it must have been after I abandoned TV.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-12-20 2:16:59 PM  

#9  I like the pre/sequel better... the Phantom of the Hearth?
Posted by: Shipman   2004-12-20 2:05:11 PM  

#8  24 hr marathon, on TNT I think either Thursday or Friday this week. :)

Ah luv dat movie.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2004-12-20 1:54:18 PM  

#7  LOTR, You'll shoot somebody's eye out!
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-12-20 1:50:44 PM  

#6  German intelligence cracks terror group's codes

DRINK MORE OVALTINE
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats   2004-12-20 1:31:30 PM  

#5  What the US accomplished in WWII by breaking Japan's JN-25 code:
  • Stopped invasion of Port Moresby (Battle of Coral Sea)
  • Stopped invasion of Midway and sank four carriers
  • Intercepted and shot down Yamamoto's plane

    Here's the kicker from the history article I linked to:
    Much to the shock of US naval intelligence, the newspaper THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE published a story that said the Americans had known about the Japanese [Midway invasion] plans in advance, which was effectively saying in public that the US had broken JN-25. Fortunately, the Japanese never found out about the article. The leak was traced to the former captain of the YORKTOWN, who shared a cabin on ship with a reporter and talked too freely. He was not brought up on charges, but his career was quietly sidelined.


    "Sidelined"--that's a nice way of putting it. Herr Schuerholz should find himself in a similar situation.
  • Posted by: Dar   2004-12-20 12:18:35 PM  

    #4  Franz-Hellmutt Schuerholz should eat 338 cereal tomorrow morning. Breakfast of traitors.
    Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-12-20 12:00:19 PM  

    #3  This all makes sense once you realise that the MSM (and a good portion of the LLL) are actually, and actively, on the terrorist's side.
    Posted by: CrazyFool   2004-12-20 11:58:03 AM  

    #2  Just friken great. Idiot politicians blowing away a vital intellige source/method and doing it just so he can brag. Wottanass.

    This is rerunnign in my head the idiot who "leaked" the "we are listening in on the satellite phones" story that caused us to lose a very good source on AlQ/BinLadin in the late 90's. That guy should have been forced to attend every one of those 9/11 funerals - the reporter too.

    I hate politicians and reporters who have no idea what harm they are doing.
    Posted by: OldSpook   2004-12-20 11:50:53 AM  

    #1  WTF! - they *told* them they broke the codes?

    Is this some weird double-triple-cross thing?

    sheesh!
    Posted by: Tony (UK)   2004-12-20 11:00:42 AM  

    00:00